Dreadful Calamity!

Within this newspaper clipping, a tornado is described as touching down in Charleston, South Carolina. As the highlighted area shows, this tornado was believed to be unprecedented, adding to the horror of being unprepared. During its path, the tornado unroofed several houses, which David Prevatt reveals is a prominent factor in the destruction of houses and subsequent death of its inhabitants. The lack of information on tornadoes causes further fear with the destruction of sturdier brick houses. Meanwhile, the damage is placed before the lives lost, showing how property damage is seen as more important.